For a Glimpse of the King
by Ollie Broom
Summary: Ben is trapped in the Labyrinth after failing to save his brother


**For A Glimpse of the King**

Part 1

Ollie Broom

Creeping through the bush maze, I worked my way closer to where the sounds were coming from. I had strayed off my chosen path when the noise of a group of voices had come to me through the foliage, and my curiosity had gotten the better of me. It took me a while to track it down. As I peeped around the corner of one bush, I found the source of the noise.

Four goblin guards with royal emblems sat about a low stone table set in the middle of a small courtyard. On the table were scattered cards and coins, and small cloth bags. The goblins were gambling, and they seemed to be getting quite excited about it. One of the goblins seemed particularly vocal – he appeared to be the owner of the largest stash.

I watched their game for a while. I suppose in a way I envied them. They were not alone, and this was their home. Maybe I envied them because it was quite possible they didn't even think about such things, and therefore did not need to worry themselves with them. Either way, I did not like it here so much, and I missed my home a great deal.

The game proceeded for several minutes and the winning goblin grew richer and richer, to his great delight and to the obvious dismay of his opponents. In the end, one of them began packing up his things and made to leave. The winning goblin chided him as he went, throwing insults until he was out of sight.

Goblin poker' I said to myself. It looked quite fun.

I had no money of course, and maybe it was a little crazy. I had spent so many weeks avoiding contact with the vile little creatures for fear of being caught and herded off to the City, but the idea of sitting down and playing a game of cards, even with this green-skinned crew, appealed to me more than ever. As far as I knew, I was the only human in the Labyrinth, and I wasn't exactly going anywhere. What did I have to lose? I asked myself. Nothing, I soon decided, and stepped out into the courtyard.

Ahem.'

I cleared my throat in an attempt to gain their attention.

AHEM!' 

The second time I succeeded, and the three remaining goblins turned to look at me, with slightly bewildered expressions on their faces. They turned to look at each other, and the continued eyeing my up and down with perplexed curiosity.

Could I join your game?' I asked in what I hoped was a suitable tone of voice. Not too offensive.

They did not reply at first, and I guess I could understand their confusion. Afterall, they did not often see a human about the place, and when they did, it was by no means under the circumstances they found themselves to be in at the present time.

I have no money but, well, I do have things I could play with.' I was thinking about the two gold bands on my fingers. The silver one on my left hand was the only one of real sentimental value, which may have seemed curious to some as it was the least expensive.

Well, I have these. What do you say?' I held my hand up and showed the rings off to the goblins, who were beginning to look a little less uncomfortable.

You want to play?' the winning gobling asked in a husky voice.

If you don't mind, yes, I would.'

Sit there. I'll deal you in.'

And so it was that I ended up playing poker with three ugly little goblins. And they were good at it too. However, without seeming too big-headed about the whole thing, I'd played my fair share of card games also. I wasn't too bad myself. It was the first time I'd actually owned any real money in this place. Not surprising really, after all, I had no real use for it, and I wasn't likely to.

So then, I made my decision.

OK, we start a new hand?'

The goblins all nodded. No matter how much they lost, they didn't mind playing more. I guess they didn't have much else to do. Either way, the winning goblin's stash was a little smaller by this stage. He didn't seem too happy about it.

OK, I'll put all I have into the cache, and my remaining gold ring.'

The look of surprise on all three's faces was a peach.

All of it?' one of them asked, a little puzzled.

All of it, yes. But we'll play special rules.'

The goblins looked at me suspiciously.

What special rules?' the winning goblin asked me, tapping his fingers on the edge of the stone table.

If I lose, you win all of the cache. Split it between you. If I win, you give me what I want.'

They looked at each other thoughtfully for a moment, before the winning goblin turned to face me again.

What do you want?' he asked defensively.

There was only one thing that I truly wanted in this place, just one thing that I thought about every day. After all, it was the sole cause of the greatest pain in my life.

I want a glimpse, just a glimpse, of the King who stole my brother.'

I'd never seen him. Not once. When I had arrived in the Labyrinth, I had no guide, no help. I had wandered confused for many hours, not knowing which way to turn. My first and only clue was to be had from a curious dream I had when I finally fell asleep that first night, many weeks ago. Even then, I did not see who was talking to me, but I had heard his voice, and his instructions. I had listened to him talk about the 13 hours, and the game. The game which would start at sunrise the next day. And when I had awoken, and the sun was just beginning to cast it's light across the Labyrinth, I had realised the full implications of my trip here and what I had to do.

And in the end, I had failed.

In winning the game, I could get my wish. At least, that was what I was hoping. If I was honest with myself, I knew that even if I did win, there was no guarantee that these goblins would do anything for me. I had soon realised that Goblins are not generally known for their honesty, and I had certainly had no reason to trust one before. But I didn't really have that much to lose. In a way, that made me sad. But when you have nothing to lose, you have no reason not to take the risk.

So when I took the hand and won the game, it was with a mixture of emotions that I turned to what appeared to be the goblins leader ( well, he was the biggest and meanest looking one ) and demanded my reward.

A glimpse of the King. That was what I asked for. Do you keep your word?' I swallowed hard, unable to hide my anticipation.

The goblin turned to his two comrades and muttered something in his husky voice. They nodded in response.

Yes. We'll leave immediately.'

Never trust a goblin. This was something I had learnt a long time ago. But at that time, it was important. All that mattered to me was that I had the chance, and I was going to take it...

_To be continued..._

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